Tony Iommi Awarded Honorary Doctorate

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has been called a lot of things over the course of his incredible career, and now he can add "doctor" to the list.

The heavy metal legend was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Coventry University, bestowed "in recognition of his contribution to the world of popular music" as well as "his role as one of the founding fathers of heavy metal music and his status as one of the industry's most influential figures." Calling it "a great honor," Iommi told reporters, "It's brilliant. I couldn't believe it."

Iommi joins a long and eclectic list of honorary Coventry graduates, including the artist George Shaw and Sarah Tremellen, a British entrepreneur who made her fortune in plus-sized lingerie. You can see footage from the ceremony, as well as a brief interview with Iommi, in the above video clip.

As Iommi told reporters at the scene, his appearance at Coventry coincided with a small break in Black Sabbath's current tour; in fact, after picking up his new degree, he headed straight for the airport, where he flew off to Helsinki to join the band for another series of European shows. Current plans call for Sabbath to stay on the road until at least next spring.